Caribbean

The buzz around the buffet line at Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club on Jamaica’s north coast is worth tuning into for two reasons. One, we hear we’re in the presence of a superb omelet chef. Two, most of the people in front and behind us are repeat guests at Breezes. One lady and her family have been flying in from Toronto for the past five years or so and always book the same room. “We love it here,” she says. “It’s always fun.”

That could well be the catchphrase for the family resort brand, which has turned out to be the best known within the SuperClubs Resorts—a significant circumstance on which it’s now capitalizing. Earlier this year, SuperClubs announced that they would expand the Breezes line, in part by renaming and rebranding the Grand Lido Negril and Grand Lido Braco properties as Breezes Grand Negril and Breezes Rio Bueno, respectively. Starfish Trelawny in Jamaica will also become a Breezes resort. The coming months will also see the opening of two new Breezes resorts in Brazil and Panama.

Once the rebranding has been completed, the number of Breezes Resorts will rise to 11, spread out across six countries and sharing common denominators that guests have come to love, including complimentary watersports and premium drinks, a wealth of dining options and its signature flying trapeze.

runaway bay It’s very easy to see why Breezes Runaway Bay has so much repeat business. This is a resort where simple pleasures are executed superbly and where misconceptions of the all-inclusive concept (or in SuperClubs’ case, “Super-Inclusive”) are immediately clarified, because service seems so personalized. The feel here is not unlike those summers when you were a kid and ran around a hotel while staff smiled and kept an eye on you—you get those same made-to-order fruit smoothies and infinite patience you received back then. The rooms are just as you remember your childhood vacations, too—large and inviting—except for the new flat-screen TV on the wall.

Runaway Bay guests have the added bonus of a private beach, one of the best in the region (with a couple of hammocks hidden away under the palm trees), not to mention an airy gamers area with ping-pong tables and loads of other activities on and offshore for young and old. Families with golfers and divers will be especially happy at this property. Runaway Bay is home to the SuperClubs 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course, where guests enjoy unlimited play and can even get a video analysis of their technique. It also has an award-winning diving program with 14 dive sites to visit.

There are five restaurants from which to choose here, including Munasan, which has both a sushi bar and Teppanyaki stations, and the beachfront Reggae Cafe for Caribbean treats. One of Breezes’ most popular options, also available at Breezes Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino, is the Starlight Grill, where guests get to pick their meat, fish and/or veggies of choice and have them grilled right there, under the stars. A very full day wraps up at night with live music and, occasionally, karaoke or a lively theme event such as a toga party, with guests getting an extra dose of courage from unlimited cocktails.

Like at other Breezes properties, guests will find the Blue Mahoe Spa, with signature treatments such as the Tropical Body Mousse and the Island Coffee Mint Glo (do your clients a favor and recommend Jenise for their massage at Runaway Bay). The property has two freshwater pools in addition to the main one, as well as verandah suites with private plunge pools, a swim-up bar, and an adorable wooden gazebo for weddings right by the beach.

curaçao A stay at Breezes Curaçao seems to come with more exuberance and bluster than its Jamaican counterpart—maybe because Runaway Bay has a 14-and-up age requirement, while the Curaçao property has no age requirement. The teen center with video arcade is at full capacity, and the complimentary snorkeling and free shore dive per day seem to be almost as popular as the casino. Breezes Curaçao’s recent renovations include a huge kids’ club with an arts & crafts center and playground, as well as renovated pools, all of which are being put to great use.